They Grow Up SOOOO Fast

Last night Dylan and Ethan were exhausted from a day playing with the neighbor boys. They were both asleep before 7:30. In fact, at dinner Ethan wasn't really eating and Gary asked him if he wanted to just brush his teeth and go to bed. His response was, "No, just go to bed," and off he went to his bed. I think he was asleep before he got to his room.

Since it was just the big kids and parents, we decided to play a round of dominoes and then read scriptures for bed. It was so fun playing a real (sort of) game with the boys. When it was scripture time, Tom and Logan both took turns reading. It is still weird to me that they are old enough to actually read the Book of Mormon with us and it isn't just Gary and I doing it every night. We really slacked off this summer and are just getting started again. I know it shouldn't come as a surprise because the prophets have promised us this but, it really does bring an added measure of peace into our home. For some reason, I tend to think that nothing can bring that peace to OUR four fighting boys! It really does work though. We don't make it very far each night - sometimes only a handful of verses - but every little bit helps.

By the way, I've been waiting for some pictures to be developed before a post about our way cool and exciting weekend. Hopefully I'll get the pictures today!

Dylan's Prayers

Every night before bed, we read scriptures and then kneel in a circle holding hands for family prayer. Dylan isn't really old enough to understand the kneeling thing so we've started to just put him on my lap or Gary's during the prayer and he starts out folding his arms - which is the cutest thing ever by the way! Lately, he's taken to showing the person praying just how much he loves them. Last night it was Ethan. He started with Ethan and walked over and threw his arms around him in a big hug. When he decided it was a big enough hug, he moved on to Logan and then Tom. By then the prayer was over so he waited for his turn to hug Gary and me. We all give hugs after prayers so I'm not sure if he is getting a jump start on it because he thinks he won't get a turn or if that is just his way of participating more fully during the prayer. Either way, I'll keep it!

Ethan's Harem

Ethan is the little Romeo of the family. Since starting preschool, he's taken a liking to a girl from our ward that goes to the same class, Emma. She is adorable and I think he has pretty good taste. Yesterday the teacher said they spent the morning holding hands. Emma's mom has told me that Emma won't talk to her about Ethan. She gets embarrassed and shy when he's mentioned.

Ethan is also a BIG fan of red heads. His neighborhood girlfriend, Claire, is also adorable and has beautiful red hair. The way he lets her name roll off his tongue is priceless, like he's taking about a newly discovered treasure. At church, they also spend time talking, giggling, and holding hands during class or while out in the foyer.

A couple of Sunday's ago, Ethan's world collided. There he was, minding his own business walking out of nursery with Claire when he ran smack into Emma leaving her Sunbeam class. He stuttered and stammered and just ran past both of them and on toward out car. It was the funniest thing I've seen in a while. At three, he wasn't sure how to handle both girlfriends he's been juggling in the same hallway. Would they find out about each other? What would the fall-out be? Would they still be his girlfriends? How did they end up in the same place?

It was too funny!

Setting the Record Straight

Picking Ethan up from preschool today, I had a chance to talk with his teacher for a minute and asked her how he did last week while Gary and I were on vacation. She said fine and then told me that he came in and said, "My Mom and Dad had to go away for a few days and talk." So........if any of you are worried, we didn't go away just to talk. We were actually just getting away to spend some uninterrupted time together! I wonder where he got that from and who else and what else he's been saying!

Glacier National Park

Gary and I went on a great vacation. For any of you who haven't gotten away with just your spouse for a while, GO FOR IT! It was so nice to just spend time together without worrying about the kids. We drove to Kallispel, Montana the first day and even though the ride was over 8 hours, it was beautiful and time flew. The hotel was amazing and the scenery seemed to get better and better.

The next morning we drove into Glacier National Park. The road that goes over the top was closed for construction just past Logan Pass but it was still amazing. We hiked to Hidden Lake at Logan Pass and saw mountain goats and big horn sheep as well as quite a few interesting people. It was nice to be able to take our time and see what we wanted to see. There weren't very many people this time of year and the leaves were all changing colors making the ride to the top great.

The next day, we took our time driving around Flathead Lake on our way to Missoula. It is mostly Indian Reservation by the lake but it is more touristy than reservation. I guess it's suppose to be the largest freshwater lake this side of the Mississippi and it too is beautiful.

The next day we drove home to our kids and Grandma. I think I fell in love with Montana! I love the rural feel and the mountains and the trees. Thanks Dani and Grandma for making this trip possible by staying with the rug rats!

Vacation Eve

Today is officially Vacation Eve. I am so excited to get some much needed time away with Gary but boy oh boy is there a lot of work involved in leaving for a few days! We are going to Glacier and the weather reports say it will be perfect weather while we are there. It will be so nice to just relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery. If anyone has any great places to eat in the Kallispel, Montana area, let us know ASAP! I'll try and post pictures when we get back but I'm not sure how great we will be at taking photos!

I'm Finally Finished!

I finally finished my canning spree this afternoon. Another 19 quarts of sliced peaches and 9 quarts of tomatoes. I know when Gary and I get back from our vacation next week, there will be more tomatoes waiting for me but it is SOOOOO nice to have the fruit done. Thanks to Kris Mullen for helping me out with some Fruit Fresh since the entire town is out! There is nothing quite as rewarding as looking at your counter the next day and seeing all the jars lined up and ready to be put away. Now I get to tackle the extremely dirty and sticky kitchen so that it is ready to go for our vacation. Hopefully I'll get my second wind soon and will get it all done tonight.